| Lycanthrope | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Others | Werewolf Were-wolf Wolf Man | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Canine-humanoid | ||
| Average height | Varies | ||
| Average weight | Varies | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sentience | Sentient | ||
| Sapience | Varies | ||
| Aggressivity | Varies (typically Extreme) | ||
| Language | Howling Sometimes capable of talking, even when transformed | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | Europe | ||
| Diet | Carnivorous | ||
| Locomotion | Bipedal Sometimes quadruped when transformed | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | Real | ||
Lycanthropy is the condition in which a human being is periodically transformed into a vicious wolf or wolf-man hybrid. A person affected by this condition is referred to as a Werewolf or Lycanthrope. Like vampirism, it's typically portrayed as a transmitted condition: the victims of Werewolf bites will become infected and start turning into Werewolves themselves.
In modern stories, the transformation into the Werewolf is involuntary, triggered when the subject finds himself or herself under the influence of the full moon. How much they retain (or fail to retain) their sapience and self-control after the transformation varies from tale to tale. They're also shown to be highly vulnerable to silver.
Notes
- Besides lycanthropy, there exist several other forms of therianthropy, i.e., men turning into animal-hybrids of some sort. Different cultures over the world tell stories of things that could be referred to as "Were-Boars", "Were-Crocodiles", "Were-Tigers" and even "Were-Dolphins" (these names aren't used, though). Then you have fictional/comedic varieties such as the "Weremoose" from Ace Ventura and the "Were-Rabbit" from Wallace & Gromit. Meanwhile, Sonic the Hedgehog's transformation into the "Werehog" cannot be considered lycanthropy, as he wasn't human to begin with. The term "Werehog" is a misnomer, as it would indicate a man turning into a hedgehog hybrid, rather than a hedgehog turning in a wolf hybrid as is the case with Sonic.
- Etymologically, the term "Werewolf" should be exclusively used for males. The female equivalent would probably be "Wifwolf", which is seldom used.
Gallery
Ned Flanders as a werewolf from Treehouse of Horror X.
Wayne from Hotel Transylvania
Van Helsing (2004)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Wolfman (2010)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
American Werewolf in London
Twilight film series
Prince Caspian